Clothing For Everyone

Avoid stripes, plaid, and patterns (this includes those cool graphic, tees, seniors – but bring one just in case). Solids generally photograph much better.

Bring a variety of colors, don’t bring 3 purple outfits — even if it is your favorite color.

If you’re bold and outgoing, a bold outgoing color will reflect who you are.

Avoid graphic tees or any clothing that has wording, characters or design on it. Exceptions would be a letter jacket (for senior portraits) or a group of sports fans wearing their team’s logo (all matching, of course!)

Solid black or solid white are good for the traditional type shots. Brighter solids like primary colors or jewel tones look hip and trendy.

Vary the style of your outfits, all one look gets boring.

Vary the level of dressy-ness; bring some dressy, some medium and some casual.

If you want black and white “drama lighting” shots, wear black clothing.

For outdoor sessions, there won’t be many places to change so plan ahead and dress comfortably.

Group your outfits together ON HANGERS. Make sure they are ironed; wrinkles can’t be Photoshopped out!

Some shots are close up, others are full length. Plan outfits completely. It is hard to do a full length formal in your suit if all you brought was a pair of old tennis shoes.

Hair

Avoid changing your hairstyle or cutting your hair right before your session. Quick easy hairstyle changes during your session are OK, but make it quick or you lose camera time. Bring your hair care tools and products with you if need be. It IS ok to show up early in curlers if you need to. If you want your hair to look it’s best, make an appointment with your regular stylist for a style just before your session time.

Jewelry

Keep it simple. We want the attention on you. Big, shiny jewelry can distract from the real subject, and can catch reflections from the flash. If you have different jewelry for different outfits, you might put each set of jewelry in a plastic baggie and hang it on the hangar with that outfit.

Props

BRING THEM!! Bring props that help define who you are. Some popular choices are: Sports equipment (soccer ball, football, basketball, bat, poms … whatever), sports uniforms, music instruments (from violin to electric guitar), activities (dance leotard and shoes, swimming, hobbies, you name it!), vehicles and motorcycles can come to the outdoor session.

Glasses

Most glasses glare. Some prescriptions more than others. We will do our best to avoid flash reflections in the glass, but your best bet is to check with your optometrist. Most will “loan” you an empty set of frames similar to yours for your photo session.

AVOID SUNBURN! Sunburn and peeling skin DO NOT photograph well!! We may need to consider rescheduling your appointment if you are sunburned, so wear sunscreen in the weeks before your session (it’s a good idea to wear it no matter what!)

Complexion

Make-up does wonders, just take it easy and be natural with it.

Pets

Pets are OK as long as they are house broken and can obey basic sit and stay commands. It is a good idea to have someone bring a pet, then leave with him after the photos are taken. Or bring a pet carrier to contain them while you are being photographed without them. Treats can be helpful to hold a dogs attention. We can even plan a session with your horse.

Friends and Parents

Friends or parents are welcome. They can be a help. You can have a couple of shots with a boyfriend, girlfriend, best friend or sibling at no extra charge.

Weather for Outdoor Portraits

Let’s face it, we are at the mercy of mother nature. If it rains, we’ll have to reschedule. Don’t worry about clouds, they actually help. But rain falling can be a problem (but it can also make for some creative shots for the adventurous).

Tattoos, Scars, Braces, Piercings

Just let the photographer know if you want tattoos to show or not. It is that easy. Scars are not automatically retouched, but can be removed or softened at your request. Extensive work may have a slight extra charge. Braces? Don’t worry,  we can retouch them out by computer (it does require an extra fee). But don’t hesitate to smile! A braces smile is better than a “holding back a smile” look. Embrace the braces!

TIPS FOR GROUPS

Everyone should wear similar styles and colors of clothing. Similar outfits mean the difference between a cohesive, coordinated looking group and a group of seemingly unrelated people.

Denim is a great choice for groups because it comes in lots of shades, blends well with other shades and gives a great casual look.

Long-sleeved black shirts always look good. They draw attention away from the clothing and onto the subjects.

Bold colors are fun, but they need to match. Don’t tell everyone to wear red without checking to make sure the reds are the same! Reds come in a variety of undertones and can really clash.

TIPS FOR GIRLS

Clothing styles

Be careful of baggy clothes that might make you look larger than you are. Make sure your clothing flatters you. If you think you have large arms, be careful of sleeveless styles, they can make your arms look fuller.

Undergarments

It is amazing how many times someone will come in wearing flowered underwear and not realize it is a problem until they go to put on their WHITE PANTS! Or come in wearing a white bra and put on a black sleeveless shirt. Please bring appropriate foundation wear for each outfit. Flesh colored is the best. Also, if you need a strapless bra, bring one. Tucking the straps down usually shows and looks bad with regular clothes.

Finger and toe nails

NAILS SHOW! If they have the paint all chipped off, it will show. Many casual shots are done barefoot, so don’t forget about your toes! Make sure your color works with each of your outfits.

Makeup

Avoid dark eye shadows and heavy eyeliners as they give you some great “raccoon eyes” shots!

TIPS FOR GUYS

Clothing

Remember, if mom gets her nice shot, she is much cooler about letting you get what you want. Bring the right shoes for the outfits. Nice shoes/boots or sandals photograph much better than ratty (comfy!) tennis shoes. Bring a dark t-shirt to wear under dark shirts. A white t-shirt triangle under a dark shirt sticks out like a sore thumb. so bring a black or gray. The white t-shirt is for wearing under light shirts and your tux shirt. Avoid large, bold brand names or words on clothing. Already, a few big names from just a few years ago, you would not be caught dead wearing now. No need to make your portraits advertising billboards for a clothing brand.

Shaving

Please make sure you are clean shaven. Retouching stubble costs extra and is still does not look as good as a clean shave.

Hair

Be careful of changes right before your session. Bleached hair does not look as good in photographs so plan to make radical changes *after* your session.